1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to belts for transmitting power from one member to another. More particularly, the invention relates to V-belts which are adapted to be received in the channels of pulleys.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flexible power transmission belts typically comprise an assembly of superimposed strips. One example of such a transmission belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,113. In this patent, the belt includes a plurality of superimposed steel strips and a plurality of V-shaped solid metal blocks. The blocks are provided with lateral guides having relatively short top edges which override the steel strips to maintain the strips and blocks in a predetermined relationship.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,561 discloses a power transmission belt having a laminated structure comprising steel bands, rubber layers, and steel wire layers. The assembly is treated to cure the elastomer layers so that liquid elastomer flows into the perforations of the steel strip bands and around each of the winds of the wire layers. Trapezoidal drive blocks may be attached to the composite belt in a conventional manner. However, these drive blocks are additions to rather than integral parts of the drive belts.
A torque transmission belt having a plurality of alternating non-compressive primary blocks and elastomeric secondary blocks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,965. The primary blocks are made from a hard material such as steel, whereas the secondary blocks are formed from an elastic material such as rubber. Both the primary and the secondary blocks are connected to one another by a metallic ring comprising a plurality of superimposed metallic strips. The ring extends between upwardly extending block projections and is secured in position by a plate mounted within grooves formed in the upper surface of each block. However, this arrangement has the inherent disadvantage of requiring a separate member to interconnect the blocks to one another.
The belts of the prior art suffer from the drawback of inherent complexity resulting from their laminate constructions and the provision of "add-on" traction blocks. Further, none of the above-described belts is designed for running in a liquid such as oil to provide for belt cooling despite the friction requirement for belt operation. Such cooling would have the benefit of prolonging belt life by lessening the temperature of the belt during operation and retarding the occurrence of "dry rot" which sometimes occurs with belts over the course of time.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power transmission belt which is relatively simple in design and is inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission belt that is capable of operating for extended periods of time without breakdown.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission belt having a considerably longer life span that prior art transmission belts.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a power transmission belt capable of being cooled by passage through a cooling fluid such as oil while still providing for power transmission to a driven member.